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The welfare reform debate - Event Info

CESI | 18.02.2007 13:52 | Workers' Movements

Information about welfare reform conference - anyone able to bring a non neoliberal perspective to this?

The welfare reform debate
The New Deals - the next 10 years

Tuesday 13 March 2007
Royal Society of Arts (RSA), London

BROCHURE AND BOOKING FORM AVAILBALE
 http://www.cesi.org.uk/Events/showevone.asp?evID=174&typeID=1

Keynote speaker:
John Hutton MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions


A major conference on the future of the New Deals for young people and
adults - taking forward the debate on how welfare programmes can and
should be reformed.

John Hutton MP, Secretary of State will make a keynote speech looking at
the future of the New Deals and how they fit in the wider welfare reform
debate. Other keynote speakers will debate the changes they think are
needed and what the future New Deals should look like.

Conference questions are:

¢ How can we significantly improve job entries for long-term JSA
claimants
¢ How can we improve sustained employment and reduce New Deal
returners
¢ Should there be a more personalised approach
¢ How can the New Deals better meet the needs of the most
disadvantaged
¢ Should local partners be enabled to adapt New Deal to the needs of
their local economy?

Inclusion are asking people their views on the New Deal through a short
on-line survey, and we hope to release the results at the conference.
Contribute to the debate by telling us your views. Click here to go the
survey:  http://survey.cesi.org.uk/newdealconference/newdealconference.htm


Places are limited so book soon to avoid disappointment.

Register on line or download the booking form at www.cesi.org.uk or
contact the Inclusion Events Team on +44 (0)20 7582 7221 or email
 events@cesi.org.uk.

CESI

Comments

Hide the following 2 comments

new deal is a bum deal

18.02.2007 18:55

new deal derives its name from 1930's USA when people were put to work on uneconomic state projects to boost the economy. this is pointless and degrading - the only way to achieve real creative growth in employment is to pay a fair wage. Real wages have decreased with free market economics and so have benefits. there is talk of privatising the jobs 'market' - but people are not commodities - they will only give what they get - classical economics beleives you can force people to work for nothing and boost the economy through cheap labour. this only works if you are totally self-interested and ignore the effect of disintegrating communities and the supportive emotional work that keeps them going.

Greenman

Going to?

18.02.2007 19:48

The jobs market has already been privatised. The 'third sector'/'voluntary sector' is already being paid to get people into work. Job Centre plus is increasingly contracting out services to get people off incapacity benefits. The rationale behind these actions is that employment is the best way to improve a persons life. But the obvious thing is that low pay in a crap job is not usually the best way to improve a persons life. Sure, for some people, getting a job will improve their confidence, give them more money to live off, etc., but unless levels of pay are good, and the job is secure, unionised and has good conditions, this cannot be the case. Its odd that the voluntary sector is so keen to have its values contaminated in this way.

Tyskie